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NES, 1988; VC release 29 October 2007; 500 Points.
What is it?

Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest is the sequel to Castlevania on the NES, and is intended to continue the story of hero Simon Belmont shortly after the events of the original game. Dracula apparently has cursed him as a final act at the end of Castlevania, and Simon is now tasked with collecting all the bits of Dracula’s body from around the game world, bring them together to resurrect Dracula, and kill him the right way to break the curse.

The RPG/adventure Simon’s Quest is very different from the original action/platformer Castlevania, which was a very linear affair with stages that ended in bosses. Simon’s Quest has a large open world with towns and dungeon-like mansions to explore, items and weapons to gather into your inventory and use, and more.

How does it play?

The controls are tightened up a little from Castlevania with jumps that vary based on how long you hold the button and some fun subweapons, but generally speaking, Simon controls just as he did in the original game. When compared to modern episodes of Castlevania, the game falls flat on its face. For its era, it is fine.

The tasks you need to complete to travel through the game are bizarre and impossible to figure out on your own. The clues hidden throughout the game run the gamut from meaningless to poorly localized jokes by people in the towns, including one who suggests you cross an impassible cliff by knocking a hole in it with your head. The use of crystals and kneeling in key places is never explained in-game, so without a strong memory of how Nintendo Power told you to beat the game a long time ago, or without a FAQ, you’re going to find yourself stuck.

Further, the localization in this game was not fixed, and neither were the frequent and ridiculous typos. This is inexcusable, because Konami has corrected these errors in the past, as in the Konami Collector’s Series: Castlevania and Contra compilation for Windows. Nintendo has removed features and text in VC games in the past, and has even localized games that were originally in Japanese. Even if it meant a 100-point premium for the act, I would have preferred the game fixed.

How does it look and sound?

The use of color to express mood and atmosphere in this game is still impressive today. Considering the limitations of the NES, this game is very impressively put together. The character and enemy design are excellently done as well, showing a clear step up from the original Castlevania. Simon looks better in red than brown. The day-to-night cycle is great as well, as the palettes swap on the outdoor areas and thing genuinely become spookier when it’s “a horrible night to have a curse.”

The audio is this game’s real strength, however. This is one of the best sounding games on the platform to date, with a brilliant soundtrack that is just as catchy today as it was twenty years ago when I played it as a kid.

How is the replay value?

Nonexistent. This is a game with many optional items and paths, but there’s only one way to complete the game. I remember the final battle in this game as heart-pounding and intense in 1988, but in 2008, it literally took me less than ten seconds, during which the damage Dracula sustained was so constant, the game never managed to draw his sprite.

Is it worth it?

If you’re a nut for this series like I am, you’re going to pick up this game, and you’re going to love it. You’ve likely already beaten the game in the past if this is the case as well, so you’ll be able to recall how to get past certain parts of the game, and you may not even stop to think about how obtuse the design is. For everyone else, I can only offer caution. Game design has come a long way since Simon’s Quest, and this game is in that sense even more of a relic than its prequel.

Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest for Wii Virtual Console gets three out of five.